Balgarianovinite.com Bulgarian tour operators and travel agencies have expressed serious concern about what they describe as a lack of coordination, transparency and timely institutional response to the crisis following the outbreak of hostilities in the Middle East on February 28, the Bulgarian Association of Travel Agencies (BATA) said in a press release received by BTA on Thursday.
BATA’s leadership said that immediately after receiving information about the escalation, the local partners of Bulgarian tour operators promptly provided the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and consular services with lists of Bulgarian citizens present in the affected areas. However, only on March 2, in the late afternoon, did the institutions request the data to be resubmitted in a specific format, which led to delays and additional tension in communication.
Further confusion among tourists was caused by information circulating that the United Arab Emirates would cover accommodation costs for foreign nationals. It later turned out that this information was inaccurate, the association said.
The organization also pointed to particularly worrying reports that Bulgarian citizens on site were being treated differently depending on how their trips were organized. Tourists who had travelled independently to countries in the Middle East were reportedly treated as a priority, while Bulgarian citizens travelling through tour operators were left to organize their return themselves, including at the expense of the tour operators.
According to BATA, such a practice is unacceptable, especially in conditions of military hostilities and immediate risks to citizens’ safety. All Bulgarian citizens should be treated equally and receive the same institutional support, the organization said.
BATA added that there is currently no official, centralized information about the organization of potential extraordinary or “rescue” flights for the return of Bulgarian citizens. Affected individuals are receiving information mainly through media reports, which is unacceptable in a crisis of this scale, the Association said.
Tour operators are calling for clear and timely communication with the tourism sector and affected citizens, public disclosure of a concrete action plan, equal treatment of all Bulgarian citizens regardless of how their travel was organized, institutional accountability in cases of unverified or inaccurate information, and the development of an effective mechanism for responding to future emergencies.
On Wednesday, Deputy Foreign Minister Velizar Shalamanov said that the work of the task force dealing with the situation in the Middle East is organized around the clock. The team is carrying out an operation focused on assisting every Bulgarian citizen who is experiencing difficulties returning home, Shalamanov said, adding that staff at the taskforce respond to all calls and emails.
An attack by the United States and Israel against Iran on Saturday triggered widespread flight disruptions in the Middle East and beyond after several countries closed their airspace and three key airports linking Europe, Africa and the West with Asia suspended operations. Hundreds of thousands of passengers were stranded or rerouted. Bulgarian Tour Operators Voice Concern over Institutional Response to Middle East Crisis 2026 THE NEWS FROM BULGARIA – NEWS AGENCY 2009-2025 2026-03-05 10:29:39 Latest news World news Country news Most important news latest news most important latest of the day Justice Petar Nizamov Feathers Petar Nizamov- Feathers Justice bg iustitia.bg iustitia iusticia usticia investigation Burgas Bulgaria news news of the last hour news of the day news of today Bulgaria news The news from Bulgaria blitz news top news most important most commented latest news Boyko Borisov news weather coronavirus news news weather facebook youtube facebook instagram news today news of the last minutes news today today news news bg news leading news hot news bg news site for news all news news bg news of the last hour latest latest news bg news of today news today news today news of the last hour latest news today news bg news news 24 hours news vesti bg novini news world bird bg bivol bg bivol trud bg novini latest news today novinite bg news hello bulgaria political party coat of arms delyan peevski scandalous Bulgarian National Television Free Europe Television scandal exclusive live tv live right now tv tv online tv program bg live now tv news online tv online live court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas court Burgas district court Burgas district court Burgas appellate court Burgas prosecutor Burgas prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Burgas district prosecutor’s office Prosecutor General Ivan Geshev Prosecutor Geshev Tsatsarov Ministry of Internal Affairs Burgas ODMR Burgas ODPR Burgas police Burgas district police Burgas prosecutor Tsatsarov SGS cases Varna court chairman of the SGS court decisions on civil cases decisions on cases Plovdiv court decision of the court decisions cases Varna court criminal cases district district court decisions work in the court SGS chairman of the SGS judges Sofia court post judges Plovdiv court Plovdiv judges Plovdiv Supreme Court Inspectorate Supreme Court Supreme Judicial Council lawyer lawyer criminal cases lawyer civil cases lawyer marriage cases lawyer administrative criminal law criminal process civil law civil process administrative law constitutional law